---
title: "Guinea-Bissau Rejects U.S.-Funded Hepatitis B Vaccine Trial"
description: "A lead researcher said the study never began and won’t move elsewhere after police sealed a refrigerator containing vaccines"
author: "rews desk"
published: 2026-10-22T16:37:00Z
modified: 2026-10-23T03:36:27Z
url: https://rews.cc/a/guinea-bissau-rejects-u-s-funded-hepatitis-b-vaccine-trial-29ce32
language: en
tags: ["vaccine", "cdc", "guinea-bissau", "hepatitis-b", "ethics"]
publisher: "Rews (https://rews.cc)"
---

# Guinea-Bissau Rejects U.S.-Funded Hepatitis B Vaccine Trial

*A lead researcher said the study never began and won’t move elsewhere after police sealed a refrigerator containing vaccines*

By rews desk · October 22, 2026 · https://rews.cc/a/guinea-bissau-rejects-u-s-funded-hepatitis-b-vaccine-trial-29ce32

## In brief

- Guinea-Bissau formally rejected the proposed hepatitis B vaccine trial on Oct. 16, a lead researcher said
- The study would have withheld the newborn dose from half its participants; it never began
- Police searched Bandim’s offices on Oct. 19 and sealed a refrigerator containing vaccines, the researcher said
- The WHO said local resource constraints did not justify withholding proven care in a trial
- Bandim has no plans to move the trial to another location

Guinea-Bissau’s government formally rejected a U.S.-funded hepatitis B vaccine trial on Oct. 16, a lead researcher told [Ars Technica](https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/10/unethical-vaccine-trial-on-babies-backed-by-rfk-jr-is-formally-canceled/), ending a proposal criticized for withholding newborn vaccinations.

The proposed study would have withheld the birth dose from half its participants in a country with high rates of chronic hepatitis B infection. Christine Stabell Benn, a lead researcher at the Bandim Health Project and the University of Southern Denmark, said the trial never began and none of its vaccines had been administered.

“We regret the decision because we considered the study scientifically and ethically justified, but we respect the government’s authority to decide whether research may proceed in the country,” Ms. Stabell Benn said in an email to Ars Technica.

The rejection preceded a [police search of Bandim’s offices](https://rews.cc/a/guinea-bissau-police-raid-the-vaccine-trial-its-own-health-m-36f4a8) on Oct. 19. Ms. Stabell Benn said officers sealed a refrigerator containing hepatitis B vaccines intended for the study, following instructions from the Council of Ministers to investigate their origin, acquisition, transport, storage and traceability.

![A glass-front medical refrigerator holds rows of small vials and is wrapped with a red ribbon secured by a wax seal against a teal background.](https://rews.cc/img/a8eef396c1bf293b7f4db343b1aed1f935649d06.webp)

Ms. Stabell Benn declined to tell Ars Technica what reasons officials gave for rejecting the trial or searching the offices. The outlet could not immediately reach Guinea-Bissau officials for comment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced an unsolicited $1.6 million grant to Bandim in December. Authorities in Guinea-Bissau reportedly halted the trial in January, but the CDC later [set aside another $1.6 million](https://rews.cc/a/the-trial-washington-will-not-let-die-1-6-million-for-the-ne-ccea32) and intended to proceed, according to Ars Technica.

The study sought to examine alleged effects of the vaccine beyond protection against hepatitis B, including possible harms. The World Health Organization said in February that it “posits hypothetical safety outcomes without sufficient credible evidence” to justify exposing newborns to infection.

The birth dose is recommended globally within the first 24 hours of life and has been used safely and effectively for decades. Hepatitis B can cause lifelong infection, liver cirrhosis, cancer and premature death.

The researchers argued that babies in the control group wouldn’t lose care they otherwise would have received: Guinea-Bissau does not routinely offer the birth dose. The country plans to introduce it in 2028 but currently lacks the resources and infrastructure.

![A cream fabric baby bassinet with a partially extended teal canopy and pale wooden rocking base stands against a peach background.](https://rews.cc/img/994d4f7e7b46bf95c83f68aeedacfb3f035cd64b.webp)

The WHO rejected that justification, citing ethical standards requiring researchers to provide the best proven intervention regardless of local access. “Resource constraints cannot be used to justify withholding proven care in a research study involving people,” it said.

Ms. Stabell Benn runs Bandim with her husband, Peter Aaby. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has praised their work, but scientific peers have criticized its quality. Danish authorities are investigating allegations of scientific misconduct in their earlier studies. The researchers have publicly expressed regret about their association with Mr. Kennedy.

In a LinkedIn post on Wednesday, Frederik Schaltz-Buchholzer, a Bandim researcher involved in the trial, said news coverage had contributed to local mistrust. He said rumors portrayed the established hepatitis B vaccine as a new product Americans wanted to test on babies in Guinea-Bissau.

Ms. Stabell Benn said Bandim has no plans to move the trial elsewhere. Any future proposal, she said, would need a local partnership and all required scientific, ethical and government reviews.